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What is the best internet provider in Wake Forest?
CNET’s top recommended internet service providers in Wake Forest include:
- Spectrum: Best internet provider in Wake Forest
- T-Mobile Home Internet: Best fixed wireless internet in Wake Forest
- Ting Fiber: Best fiber ISP in Wake Forest
Brightspeed and AT&T Fiber are also decent options for fiber internet in Wake Forest, but local availability is more limited than Ting Fiber. Read on to learn more about Wake Forest internet providers, including the cheapest and fastest plans available.
Wake Forest, North Carolina, internet providers compared
| giver | internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | The monthly cost of equipment | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber Read the full review |
ravelled | $55-$245 | 300-5,000Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.4 |
| Brightspeed | DSL, fiber | $49-$75 | 10-100Mbps DSL, 200-1,000Mbps fiber | nothing | nothing | nothing | 6.6 |
| Spectrum Read the full review |
Cable | $30-$70 | 100-1,000Mbps | Free modem, $10 router (optional) | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
| Ting Fiber | ravelled | $89 | 1,000Mbps | $11 (optional) | nothing | nothing | N/A |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$55 with eligible mobile plans) | 87-415Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is the cheapest internet plan in Wake Forest?
| plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet Advantage Read the full review |
$30 | 500Mbps | $10 (optional) |
| Brightspeed Fiber 200 | $49 | 200Mbps | nothing |
| Spectrum Internet Premier Read the full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | $10 (optional) |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 318Mbps | nothing |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 300Mbps | nothing |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read the full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | nothing |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Fastest internet plans in Wake Forest
| plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet 5000 Read the full review |
$245 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| AT&T Internet 2000 Read the full review |
$145 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| AT&T Internet 1000 Read the full review |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Brightspeed Fiber 1 Gig | $75 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Spectrum Internet Gig Read the full review |
$70 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | nothing | Cable |
| Ting Fiber Gigabit | $89 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read the full review |
$70 ($45 with eligible mobile plans) | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | nothing | Fixed wireless |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you are looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here is an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you need?.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to deal with the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the needs of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to participate in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET picked the best internet providers in Wake Forest, North Carolina
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptop, router or kitchen utensilsit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a city. What is our approach? We started by researching price, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission. FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in one area. We also input local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We looked at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to assess how happy customers are with ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to constant change; All information provided is accurate at the time of publication.
Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Are customers getting decent value for what they paid for?
- Are customers happy with their service?
The answer to those questions is often layered and complicated, but the providers who are closest to “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Wake Forest, North Carolina, FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Wake Forest?
Spectrum is the best internet service provider in Wake Forest. The cable internet provider has the best broadband coverage in Wake Forest, available to approximately 93% of local households, of the FCC. Along with high availability, Spectrum offers fast speeds for the price, although custom pricing becomes effective after the first year.
Is fiber internet available at Wake Forest?
According to the latest FCC datafiber internet is available in approximately 70% of Wake Forest. Ting Fiber is the most widely available fiber ISP in Wake Forest, although Brightspeed and AT&T Fiber also offer fiber connections in parts of the city.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Wake Forest?
Spectrum’s 100Mbps Internet Advantage plan has the lowest starting internet rates in Wake Forest at $30 per month. Brightspeed, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet aren’t far behind, with service starting at $50 a month. Renting a router with Spectrum adds $10 to your bill while Brightspeed, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet include equipment rental at no extra cost. But note, Spectrum also has higher rate increases than other low-cost ISPs in Wake Forest because the price of standalone internet service goes up by at least $20 after the first year.
Which internet provider in Wake Forest offers the fastest plan?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Wake Forest, with a symmetrical maximum speed of 5,000Mbps, or 5 gigabits per second. AT&T Fiber availability is very limited in Wake Forest. Other high-speed providers in Wake Forest, including Brightspeed, Spectrum and Ting Fiber, offer maximum download speeds of 1,000Mbps. Additionally, Verizon 5G Home Internet advertises a speed range of 85 to 1,000Mbps, but actual speeds vary by location and network congestion.
